“I mean everyone that works in health care wants to help people at the root of what they’re doing which is not to say I wasn’t sympathetic about what people were going through but I think I didn’t quite get it,” Smith said.

She says her symptoms were pretty subtle – she had heartburn and felt bloated but chalked it up to the amount of pizza, pasta and wine the couple indulged in while on their two week honeymoon in Italy and Greece.

She was later given the devastating news, had surgery and started her first of four cycles of chemotherapy on Dec. 19, 2016.

“It’s like you’re going to die, you’re going to be fine, you’re going to die, you’re going to fine so it’s a lot of up and down – like a total emotional roller coaster,” Smith said.

“You’re trying to not only advocate for yourself and get the best care that you can but also to kinda keep yourself together through it all so it’s tough.”